Rams get shut out in home opener

VICTORVILLE — The Victor Valley College football team has shown in its first two games that it can hang with the best of teams.

But the Rams haven't done enough to pick up a win.

On Saturday, they dropped to 0-2 on the season with a 16-0 loss to nationally ranked Palomar College in their home opener on VVC's lower campus.

The Rams struggled defensively against state-ranked Riverside Community College last week, while the offense played well. On Saturday it was the offense that struggled.

"We're Jekyll and Hyde," VVC head coach Dave Hoover said. "If the defense played as well last week as we did this week, we would've won the Riverside game. If the offense shows up like they did against Riverside, we win this game. The good news is that we can play good people. We can play good people well. We just haven't put it together yet and that's my fault."

VVC reached the red zone three times — once inside the 5 — in the first half, and on all three occasions failed to score. Kicker Andrew Paredes — whom Hoover said has been nursing a groin injury all season — missed three field goal attempts. The Rams only managed four first downs in the second half and got within 25 yards of the end zone once on a drive that ended with a fumble on fourth-and-1 at 21.

The Rams' 298 total yards of offense was way down from 449 a week ago, while the defense held Palomar — ranked No. 8 in Southern California — to 292. Last week the Comets rushed for 303 yards.

"I think the line did a good job of putting the skill guys in position to succeed," Hoover said. "I just think the skill guys have to step up. I'm very unhappy with my skill guys right now."

Palomar jumped on the scoreboard with just under 8 minutes to play in the first half when kicker Briton Forester made a 36-yard field goal.

Matt Christian came in to quarterback Palomar in the second half, and the Comets finally found the end zone on their first drive of the third quarter. Christian capped off a nine-play, 71-yard drive that took just under 4 minutes with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Paul Moore. He completed 3 of 4 passes on the drive and had 44 rushing yards in the second half.

Christian later led Palomar on a 79-yard, 16-play drive that ended in a 1-yard touchdown run by Andrew Frasier, giving the Comets a 16-0 lead with 9:23 to play.

"Defensively (Victor Valley) did a good job," said Palomar head coach Joe Early, whose team is ranked 21st by the J.C. Grid-Wire. "It took us a while to figure out what we were doing. Once we hunkered in, we were able to shut some things down defensively, and offensively we were able to move the ball. Our issue was leaving points on the board. This was a good win on the road, I think against a good Victor Valley football team."

The schedule doesn't get any easier for VVC as it finishes its nonleague schedule on Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College, which is ranked second in southern California.

"These nonleague games are a tremendous challenge for us," Hoover said. "We're playing the best programs in the state if not the nation."